Impacts are lingering days after a powerful storm swept heavy rain and strong wind across the United Kingdom. At least 64 flood warnings and over 140 flood alerts were in effect Friday in the wake of Storm Chandra, which struck early this week. Flooding prompted a "danger to life" warning for at least one town.
"Our priority is to support our most vulnerable residents and to make sure people are aware that help is available," Somerset County Council leader Bill Revans told The Guardian. Almost 150 properties in Somerset and Dorset, another southern England county, were flooded.
"I am in regular contact with the Environment Agency on their response to the ongoing flooding in Somerset and Dorset who, alongside local authorities and the emergency services, are already taking action to keep communities safe," Minister for Water and Flooding Emma Hardy said, per the Environment Agency.
The Environment Agency reserves severe flood warnings for the most extreme events, indicating dangerous conditions are expected and that immediate action is required. The agency issued the "danger to life" flood warning Thursday as floodwaters rose on the Lower Stour in Bournemouth, another southern England area soaked by heavy rainfall.
A red warning was downgraded to a yellow warning Friday, but the forecast called for more rain. Weather alerts remain in effect across parts of the U.K. for four of the next five days. Somerset and other towns in southwest England will be under a yellow warning for further rainfall that could cause additional flooding.
"Outbreaks of rain, heavy at times, are expected to arrive across Cornwall on Friday morning and move northeastwards across other parts of southwest England by afternoon, followed by showers during Friday evening and overnight into Saturday morning," Met Office meteorologists cautioned, noting 10-20 millimeters (0.4-0.8 inches) was likely with 30 mm (1.2 in) possible. "... Falling on saturated ground, this may lead to some flooding and disruption. Strong winds are also likely in places."
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Chandra was the third major storm this month to strike the U.K. It caused widespread flooding, travel disruption, and power outages. Nearly 200 flood alerts were issued when the storm first hit, with the River Otter in Ottery St. Mary reaching a record high. Emergency services rescued people from submerged vehicles, and over 240 schools in Northern Ireland closed.
Authorities warned residents along affected rivers to evacuate and take essential supplies, while yellow warnings for ice and additional heavy rain were issued across the U.K. Storms such as Chandra highlight the growing risk of increasingly frequent and severe weather caused by rapidly rising global temperatures, which are driven by burning coal, gas, and other fossil fuels for energy.
"In future, most climate projections indicate that winter windstorms will increase slightly in number and intensity over the U.K., i.e. more winter storms, including disproportionately more severe storms, are projected to cross the U.K.," according to the Met Office, the national weather service agency. "... Coastal flooding from storms is expected to increase under climate change due to rising sea levels, worsening the impacts of storm surges."
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